2024-25 Concordia Men’s Basketball Schedule
SEWARD, Neb. – The defense of the program’s 2023-24 GPAC regular season championship will officially get started at the 25th annual Cattle Classic. Just prior to the Fourth of July holiday, Concordia University Men’s Basketball has announced a 2024-25 slate featuring 28 regular season games, including the usual 20 contests versus conference competition. The Bulldogs will tip off the new season at home against NCAA Division III foe Central College (Iowa) on Nov. 1.
Head Coach Ben Limback enters his 12th season at the helm of his alma mater. Concordia (24-8 overall in 2023-24) has reached the NAIA national tournament in three-straight campaigns and in four of the past five years. During that five-year run, the program has also celebrated four total GPAC championships (two regular season and two postseason).
The Cattle Classic (Nov. 1-2) comes with some added intrigue this coming season as it will renew old rivalries between Concordia and Nebraska Wesleyan and Hastings and Nebraska Wesleyan. The Prairie Wolves left the GPAC in 2016 to join the American Rivers Conference of NCAA Division III. As part of the Cattle Classic, the Bulldogs will take on both Wesleyan and Central College. Head Coach Dale Wellman led the 2023-24 Wesleyan team to the NCAA DIII Elite Eight and to a 26-5 overall record.
In other nonconference action, Concordia is slated to host Bethel College (Kan.) on Nov. 9, venture to the Phoenix area for clashes at Arizona Christian University and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University on Dec. 20-21 and then entertain MidAmerica Nazarene University (Kan.) on Dec. 28. This past season, Arizona Christian reached the national round of 16 while MidAmerica Nazarene was a national qualifier. The 72nd Concordia Invitational Tournament is scheduled to be hosted by Concordia University Ann Arbor on Jan. 24-25. The Bulldogs have won each of the past three CITs and lead the event all-time with 30 CIT championships.
Limback’s crew will open conference play on Nov. 16 when Morningside makes a visit to Friedrich Arena. The regular season will conclude on Feb. 22 with a trip to Yankton, S.D., home to Mount Marty. Concordia will play Waldorf University (Iowa) for the first time as a conference opponent when action tips off in Forrest City, Iowa, on Dec. 14.
Dates for the GPAC tournament are Feb. 26 for the quarterfinals, March 1 for the semifinals and March 4 for the championship game. The NAIA Men’s Basketball National Championship Tournament will get started with the first and second rounds on March 14-15 followed by play at the final site (Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo.) from March 20-25.
The Bulldogs will return each of their GPAC All-Conference players from last season: Noah Schutte (first team), Tristan Smith (first team) and Brad Bennett (second team). The NAIA All-American Schutte made the decision to use his ‘COVID Year,’ meaning 2024-25 will mark his fifth season wearing Bulldog Blue. Within Limback’s staff, Ryan Tegtmeier earned the new title of Associate Head Men’s Basketball Coach. In addition, four-year Concordia student-athlete Joel Baker has stepped into the role of Graduate Assistant Coach.
104.9 Max Country (KTMX) will continue to serve as the radio home of Concordia Men’s Basketball. The majority of varsity games can be heard live via Max Country with Parker Cyza calling the action as play-by-play voice.